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The Beginning of the Quest
Intro Hidden in the depths of Ivyleaf Forest was a small community of wild cats. Flea-bitten and scrawny for the most part, the cats were constantly fighting to survive on their own. The whole group of cats depended on seven cats and a young kitten for safety. Those eight cats came to the clan from a tribe that was disbanded long ago. Once earning the trust of their clanmates, they were each given the same special rank: Clan Protector. For moons, those eight cats defended their cat-buddies with their all. That is… until they got separated… Prologue: The Beginning of the Quest The cats sat in a circle around a campfire. Roaringfire tossed a stick into the fire, hoping to keep it burning. Her effort was wasted, however, as a gust of wind ignorantly blew out the fire. Shininglight squirmed over to Forgedreign, whimpering and shivering. The fiery-ginger tabby licked the young gray she-cat. Shininglight’s eyes welled with tears, a miserable groan rising from her throat. “Reign, why can’t we just go home?” asked Shininglight, pouting. “I hate it out here, all wet and stuff with no shelter.” The older cat tried to shush her as she rambled on. Five eyes were locked onto her and five jaws were slightly parted. Roaringfire glanced over at Infinitenight, who was staring at her paws. Forgedreign pawed at Shininglight furiously, but the to-be would not be quiet. “I want to be back home,” she whined. “I miss my moss-bed, the delicious prey, the other cats in the tribe-“ The to-be immediately stopped, as Infinitenight had tackled her to the ground. The she-cat held the kitten’s head down under one sturdy paw and towered above her. A flame of hostility blazed in her eyes as she snarled menacingly. Shininglight cried out from under her but no cat came to her rescue. They all stood back, horror gleaming in their eyes. Infinitenight brought her face closer to the to-be’s. “You idiotic little kit,” she hissed, her eye twitching. “Those imbeciles don’t give a crap about us anymore. You know that when we found them after the storm, they had already started rebuilding the camp and had given some weaklings the rank that only we were supposed to have! If you were to go back there now, I know that they wouldn’t even remember your name! They clearly believe we are inferior because we didn’t return to them, or else they would’ve sent some cats looking for us! We are on our own now. When the StarClan will you learn to throw those fox-hearts out of your mind? I swear, I’ll-” Roughdiamond threw herself at Infinitenight, tears streaming from her eyes. “What the freaking StarClan is wrong with you?” she screamed. Infinitenight’s eyes widened and she stared at Roughdiamond. The bluish-gray she-cat was crying like crazy while pinning down the stronger cat. Shininglight scrambled over to Forgedreign, burying her face in her chest fur. Roughdiamond’s icy blue gaze seemed to douse the fire in Infinitenight’s amber eyes. “Inf, how could you let your mind get corrupted like this?” she whispered, hurt by the words she said. “After our old tribe was disbanded… we started our new life together in ZeroClan. Doesn’t that still mean anything to you?” When the she-cat didn’t respond, she continued. “ZeroClan took us in when we needed a place to stay,” she pressed. “They cared about us there. If it weren’t for them, we could’ve died. We were happy with them…” “They don’t care anymore, Di,” retorted Infinitenight, her voice less sharp. “They got their use out of us and then didn’t care.” “That’s not true, Infinitenight!” Roughdiamond yelled desperately. “Open your ears and hear the words coming out of your mouth!” Silence filled the air around the cats. Infinitenight’s warrior name never came out of Roughdiamond’s mouth. This surprised even said cat. She softened her expression and easily escaped her friend’s tightest hold. “Di, I am so sorry,” she murmured, warmth in her gaze. “I haven’t lost respect for ZeroClan. My mind is just messed up.” She turned her head and met Shininglight’s gaze. She stared into the to-be’s frightened green eyes before looking away, up to the stars. “Forgive me, Shininglight, my dear,” she meowed in a calm tone. “I would kill anycat who dared hurt you or any of you guys. Thus, I’d never harm you. I don’t know what I was thinking. In fact, I wasn’t thinking. I am now though. We have to get back home. We are going to find our way there, I promise.” Shininglight’s eyes sparkled and she padded over to Infinitenight. “I-I forgive you, Infinitenight,” she mewed, purring. “We’ll get through this together, I know.” Absentmind stifled a sob and strolled over casually. He leaned against Infinitenight and purred. Forgedreign joined him and eventually, the ever-tsundere Soulsearch came to sit. Roughdiamond touched her nose to Infinitenight’s and then licked her face. “I had no true doubt,” she beamed. “Your heart is always in the right place, Inf. There is no better cat to lead us home.” Suddenly, Infinitenight jumped back, making all the cats huddled together fall over. She arched her back and narrowed her eyes. “I cannot lead you,” she shook her head furiously. “I’m no leader. Reign is of course.” “Infinitenight, don’t say that,” Roaringfire gasped. “You’re a great leader. Oh, not like Forgedreign isn’t, too, but you know what I mean!” Forgedreign laughed quietly and came to Infinitenight’s side. She touched her shoulder with her tail and gave her a reassuring lick on the ear. “Infinitenight, you should know by now that you can,” said Forgedreign. “I wasn’t named Forgedreign for no reason. You can lead better than any of us. In fact, you were already kind of our unofficial leader. Don’t doubt yourself, hon. We all have faith in you.” Smiling, Roaringfire nodded. “Honestly, we do!” she squeaked. Absentmind cocked his head to the side. “Would it make you feel better if we called you Infinite''star''?” he asked. “Nononono,” replied the black she-cat. “Infinitenight is my name now, and it will continue to be. But… if you all really believe I can get us all home…” Roughdiamond touched her paw with her own. “We do, Inf,” she mewed. “We know you can. I know you can.” Silence filled the area again as the two she-cats stared at each other. “Oooh…” Absentmind interrupted, earning him a smack from Roaringfire. After shooting him a glare, Roughdiamond turned to Soulsearch. “You think she can do it, right?” she blinked at him, waiting. He turned his head, looking off into the woods. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” he growled. “That means yes,” insisted Roaringfire. “Alright then, I’ll try,” Infinitenight gave a small smile. “We can begin the journey at sunup. Let’s get some rest now.” With this, Forgedreign pulled over a moss bed that she and Shininglight shared. The kitten climbed in beside her best friend, purring until she fell asleep. Roaringfire fell over and instantly started snoring. Absentmind rested on a tuft of grass near Roaringfire. Soulsearch padded off to sleep a good fox-length away from the others. Infinitenight laid down close to pile of fireless sticks. Roughdiamond curled up right beside her, purring. “Di, you really think I can get us home?” asked Infinitenight in a whisper tone. Roughdiamond didn’t respond. She simply turned and stared into Infinitenight’s eyes. At that point, Infinitenight understood. Roughdiamond pressed her muzzle against hers. “I love you, Infinitenight,” she murmured. “Words cannot express how much I do. I believe in you more than any other cat. But you also know that Shine, Reign, Abs, Roar, and even Soul have a lot of faith in you, too. You can get us back to ZeroClan, wherever they are.” There were so many things Infinitenight wanted to say, but the words were stuck. She began to purr and laid her head down. Roughdiamond did the same, and the two drifted off moments later.